Reading the Eddie Reese article in the SFF thread and the importance of an aerobic base I was led to wonder, how do you establish and maintain an aerobic base, and how do you know when to go from building the aerobic base to working on non-aerobic training? Do you split your season or do you work on all aspects all the time?
I know it's a big question but...
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I think this was Eddie's point and it seemed like his talk was aimed at age group coaches. But what about masters swimmers? If we didn't get that aerobic base as kids are we forever hobbled by it? I really don't know the answer, but I think a good aerobic base is crucial for anyone interested in swimming events over 100 yards and it does seem to have a cumulative effect. When I first started back in masters my endurance wasn't great, but it has constantly improved over the years. I did have that aerobic base a child, though. People who didn't get that aerobic base as kids might just have a steeper hill to climb to establish a good aerobic base.
I think this definitely effects how you train as an adult. I think former age grouper can get away with a lot less aerobic base work as masters and still swim extremely fast. Ala Ande's method. But if you weren't a former age grouper or never swam year round until masters, that aerobic base work becomes more important. For me, the seasons I've done more aerobic work (and more yards in general) I've swam my best 100 times (and 50 times, too). Its still very important to race a few times a week during practice. But just focusing on racing or speed work more in practice has generally yielded poor results for me.
I think this was Eddie's point and it seemed like his talk was aimed at age group coaches. But what about masters swimmers? If we didn't get that aerobic base as kids are we forever hobbled by it? I really don't know the answer, but I think a good aerobic base is crucial for anyone interested in swimming events over 100 yards and it does seem to have a cumulative effect. When I first started back in masters my endurance wasn't great, but it has constantly improved over the years. I did have that aerobic base a child, though. People who didn't get that aerobic base as kids might just have a steeper hill to climb to establish a good aerobic base.
I think this definitely effects how you train as an adult. I think former age grouper can get away with a lot less aerobic base work as masters and still swim extremely fast. Ala Ande's method. But if you weren't a former age grouper or never swam year round until masters, that aerobic base work becomes more important. For me, the seasons I've done more aerobic work (and more yards in general) I've swam my best 100 times (and 50 times, too). Its still very important to race a few times a week during practice. But just focusing on racing or speed work more in practice has generally yielded poor results for me.
